A Decayed Rose
by KavanLostWings
Summary: After being away from his childhood home for ten years, Zero returns to find the answers to his darkest questions. But what he finds there might be more than he can handle. With fear in eyes of stone, his past and something else, comes out to play. / AU. Kaname x Zero.
1. The place it began

A Decayed Rose.

Chapter one.

Warnings: Adult content in later chapters, profanity, AU, slight OOC for plot line purposes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or its respective characters.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Zero?"

Glancing over at the man who spoke, Zero simply nodded his head. Without another word, Zero's strong hands coiled around the strap of his luggage, hoisting it over a broad shoulder. His amethyst gaze traveling over to his destination. The house was a manifestation of his worst nightmares. Despite the fact that it was a simple, two story house, with an upstairs deck in the front. The entire property held a sense of foreboding about it, sending goose bumps sprouting across Zero's pallid skin with a brush of invisible fingers. They slid gently down his arm. Narrowing his gaze, he roamed his eyes over the brick porch to study the cracks among the panel front. One crack stood out in particular, the mark spreading a good three inches across the paneling. It was jagged, and Zero couldn't exactly recall where it had come from—but he knew he was responsible.

_A soft giggle escaped his mouth, his eyes trained on the mark. He felt something erupt in his chest, a tingly sensation taking over his body, "cool! Do it again."  
_  
In the back of his mind he could still remember his excitement when the mark was made…but he didn't remember how it was made or why such a trivial thing would amuse him so much. Dispelling his thoughts, he decided it didn't matter anymore.

Looking the house over once more, Zero had to admit, it was fairly simple, yet beautiful. With five front windows, a front yard with a glistening stone walkway and no trees to block the sunlight, it practically glowed—the landscape enhancing its beauty with a touch only Mother Nature could provide. An image so innocent.

It was hard to believe that this place had been the chosen scene of a horrific _murder_.

Regarding Cross without removing his focus from the house, Zero spoke, "I should only have a few more suitcases left."

Kaien followed his line of sight with a frown, a shadow passing behind his normally cheery eyes. He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know what his adopted child was thinking about. "I still think about them, you know."

Zero visibly stiffened before he set his mouth into a scowl formed by the irritation sparking in his eyes, choosing not to respond. He was hoping the man would get the hint.

Though honestly he should've known better.

With little regard for the fact Zero wasn't interested in what he had to say, Kaien continued, "Your parents were great people. Hard working, it's regrettable that things turned out the way they did."

Trembling fingers tightened into a fist, dark emotions swelling behind the tense bones. Without so much as a glance the blonde's way, Zero moved around the side of the car to grab another bag with his free hand, heading up the pathway to his new home the minute he was situated.

Cross was not even a step behind him. "You were so young when it happened too."

Opening the front door with more force than necessary, Zero stepped into the living area of the place he had spent his childhood. As he began to set down his bags just beyond the entryway, Zero gritted out a reply, "I'm aware of that."

The blonde flinched at the chilly tone, and let his glasses slide down his nose a bit. "Ah, I was just reminis—"

Zero cut him off swiftly, "I may have lost most of my memories from the _accident_, but I can still remember who my family was, Cross." Apathetic irises stabbed into cinnamon brown. "I also remember what my parents and little brother looked like when they were covered in blood on the ground after some _**bastard **_murdered them without remorse. Now, is that all?"

A stifling silence bloomed between the two individuals, and Cross's expression uncharacteristically shifted into one of deep sorrow. For once, the eccentric man had nothing to say. There was nothing he could say to ease the teen's pain; he had already done all he could while the silverette was living under his roof. Which honestly, was much less than he wanted.

Maybe that was why Zero was leaving his home so early in his life. He had told the silverette time and time again, that he could stay as long as he liked—but the minute Zero turned eighteen and was legally able to do as he wished, he had decided to move back to the house where he lost everything. Kaien hadn't been able to fathom why anyone would want to return to a place where they had been traumatized. But when he asked, Zero had given him a simple response, "It was inherited to me, that house is my responsibility", Kaien had left it at that.

Setting down the bag with the others, Kaien slid on a happy demeanor and turned to face the younger boy. He didn't want this to end on a bad note. "Is that all, Zero-chan? Because I think I saw two more bags in the backseat. I'll go get them~. I wouldn't want my darling boy to hurt his arms." He replied, knowing full well that Zero was capable of carrying the bags himself and that the boy was never talking about the bags at all.

Zero picked up on that. Giving Cross a look, the teen had to hold back a frustrated sigh as the man literally bounced from the room to the black car waiting in the parking lot. He had half a mind to shout after the man, kindly informing him that he was not his _'darling boy'_, but as he peered through the ajar door, his eyes were greeted with the sight of the other juggling the bags. It was only a moment later when the man let out a loud wail—tumbling backwards with the bags falling atop him. Something akin to fondness fluttered into his chest. Shaking his head at the man's antics, he decided to let it drop. The guy was at least trying to be useful.

Turning away from the scene, he stepped further into the house. It would take a lot of work to make the room meet his standards, he realized. And here he was hoping it would be move-in ready. That's what he got for being hopeful.

Zero Kiryu, hopeful.

_**Wasn't that just hilarious?**_

Letting out a soft whoosh of air pass over his lips, he simply decided he'd have to call Yuuki tomorrow. As annoying as the little brunette was, she was helpful when it came to decorating or anything within that category. For the past eight years that he had been living in her house, she had been the one to pick out his clothes. He trusted her judgment, at least. Which was more than he could say about anyone else he knew.

Kaito, his annoying best friend, could manage to screw up the most simple color scheme. Kaien was just bat shit crazy and would puke rainbows all over his walls and Yagari... he had about as much style as he did: Absolutely none.

Yuuki was by far the best choice out of his limited companions.

Brushing off his hands that suddenly felt cold, Zero moved to drag his suitcases further into the room.

_"It seems you've returned…Kiryu-kun."_

Zero dropped his bag in shock. Whirling around to face the direction the voice had come from, the male stared into the hallway leading to the kitchen. Every shadow that passed among the wall suddenly seemed much more dangerous than just a shift of light, claws soaked with fear gorging into his stomach to form a tight knot. He stayed completely still as he surveyed the area—looking for something, anything, that could've spoken to him. He saw nothing. Steeling his nerves, Zero narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare and advanced forward.

"Anyone there?" he called, sounding like a complete idiot. Silence resumed and as expected, there was no answer. There was no one there; he was just talking to himself. Like a dolt. Trying to reason away the leftover anxiety coursing through his blood stream, Zero took a deep breath. Cross didn't drug him did he?

"Where do you want me to put these, Zero-chan?"

Jolting in shock, Zero whirled around for the second time that day. He must've had a look on his face, because the next thing he knew, Cross had a concerned look in his eyes.

"Nee, are you alright, Zero?"

"I'm fine." Bending down to pick up the bag he had dropped like a rock, Zero continued the task he had before he hallucinated. Playing it cool behind a veil of indifference. "Put them over here by the staircase."

Without even turning around Zero could feel Kaien itching to ask him more questions, but after tossing him an annoyed scowl, the man did as he was told.

With no more time wasted, the two started to stack all of Zero's belongings neatly beside the wooden stairs. Fitting in each bag like a wooden piece of a startup Jenga game. When they had finished their work, there was a pregnant pause as the two tried to figure what to do from there. Neither of them could come up with an excuse to spend any more time together. Kaien looked crestfallen and Zero was awkwardly staring holes into the nearest wall, forcing away his emotions with a finger on the trigger.

Kaien was the first to speak, a tense jingle of laughter erupting from his oddly stiff frame, "Ah well then, it seems you're all settled in~. I should get going; I have a lot of paperwork to do."

"Yeah. I doubt Yagari would appreciate an extended leave either." Zero agreed, though instantly after the words left his mouth, he frowned. It was easy to see that Cross was holding something back, and as the man laughed again—he pin pointed the sad undertone rippling through. Somehow, he just knew he was to blame. Thinking back to earlier when he snapped at the man, Zero felt a stab of guilt.

He didn't regret putting the man in his place, but he did regret hurting his feelings while doing so. Despite how much Cross annoyed him, the man was still a heavy part of his life. He had been in his life since he was born…and Zero would be lying if he said he disliked the man. It wasn't like when they had first been reunited after the accident. He had to admit, he been a total wreck back then; throwing punches and taking his rage out on anyone that would give him the time of day. It had taken until this year for him to grow up—perhaps, he was a bit apathetic and too composed for some people, but at least he didn't try to kill everything that came his way. Cross had helped him change, along with , he didn't know when he would even see the former again.

And he had been a complete and utter jackass.

Zero decided that one of these days, he'd consider removing the stick permanently shoved up his ass.

Watching with a blank mask in place as Kaien began to maneuver through the doorway, with an over dramatic call of "Farewell, son! Till we meet again!" Zero felt his stomach plummet south. Dammit.

"I…Do you want some coffee before you go?" He suddenly heard himself asking.

Kaien paused in the doorway, before he smiled brightly at the silverette. "That sounds fantastic, Zero-chan."

Allowing a brief smile to curve his pink petal lips, which his friend missed entirely as he was too busy doing a strange happy dance, Zero headed into the kitchen. It wasn't long after that Kaien had himself situated at the dining room table that Kaito had brought over the night before. Zero was standing by the coffee pot, waiting for the last bit of bitter black liquid to gather in the pool. A comfortable aura surrounded the room, and as the youth waited, he leaned against the cutting edge of the counter top.

It was peaceful like this…but the youth felt oddly cold. It was like he was being frozen from the inside out. Razor sharp crystals breaking off to form ice beneath his moonlight colored flesh. He slid his gaze to the corridor he had walked through not too long ago, his eyes boring into the door leading to the basement. His brows furrowed and the cold bit into him deeper.

The machine to his left suddenly beeped to alert him that the coffee was ready, and Zero shoved the feeling away as if it were an annoying fangirl. Grabbing two mugs from a box on the counter, Zero swiftly began to pour the steaming liquid into its respective container. With a flick of his wrist, he snatched two sugar packets from the counter, tossing them Kaien's way. One hit him in the face whilst the other landed on the man's lap. "Kiryuu-Kun! That's not nice!"

Taking a seat across from his ex-caretaker, Zero slid the coffee mug in front of the visibly teary eyed man. "Here."

Pouting at having his complaint ignored, Kaien took the packets _gracefully _given to him, and put them in his drink with a smooth rip and shower of white. Zero moved to hold out a spoon to him. Kaien gestured his head in thanks, before his nimble fingers took the utensil and mixed his coffee with an elegant swirl. Then the man took a sip of bliss.

Zero was right behind him, his pale throat moving as hot liquid slid down.

They stayed like that for quite a while, enjoying each other's presence while the caffeine settled into their system.

It wasn't until ten minutes had passed, that the tranquility had been gently pushed aside.

"I want you to know you can always call me if you need anything, and Yuuki too. She's been pouting all week about you leaving. " Kaien said as he finished the last of his beverage, "my poor girl is going to be lost without you there." The man was smiling fondly at something, though Zero wasn't quite sure what. He would guess that it was something of his own personal thoughts. Zero waited for the other to continue, and found himself blinking in surprise when the other man suddenly gave him a sincere, rare, simper, "We're going to miss you."

Another heartbeat, and he was feeling warm again. Staring silently across the table, Zero recalled the good (and insanely crazy) times he's had with Cross and Yuuki. He remembered the dangerously inventive cooking, Yuuki petting his hair at night, and even the absurd pillow fights. Why was he leaving that behind?

A familiar fuzzy feeling clouded his head. Oh right, that was why. His memory… shifting his eyes closed, he tried to remember what living in this house had been like. It was there, in the back of his mind, but there were too many broken pieces—the puzzle refusing to come together. He needed to find those pieces, here in this house, on his own. He couldn't move forward until he did. He just couldn't, not until he found out why he blamed _himself_ for his family's untimely demise.

The answer was here. He just _knew._

Reopening his uniquely colored irises, Zero nodded, sipping his coffee. "I'll visit."

Kaien hummed his approval before he stood up, giving Zero one last warm smile. "I must get going. Call me as soon as you can."

That earned an eye roll from the boy, "Alright, alright. It's not like I moved out of state."

As if a switch had been flipped, Cross burst into a fit of tears. With sparkling white rivers flowing from his eyes like ammunition, Zero grimaced. Even before Cross began to wallow in despair like a complete lunatic, his dramatic cries echoing among the empty walls of the house, "BUT IT FEELS LIKE THERE IS A HOLE IN MY CHEST. MY SON-."

The ramblings continued, and another flip had been switched, the one controlling Zero's temper.

Red hot anger throbbed in Zero's chest and Zero thought he was going to kill him.

"MY POOR SON. SO FAR AWAY FROM HOME, LET ME TAKE YOU BACK LIKE A PROPER FATHER!"

Scratch that, he knew was going to freakin' _kill_ him.

_**WITH AN AXE.**_

"I'm not your son, now get out!" Zero growled as he grabbed the taller man by his ear, dragging his stupid ass to the door.

"You're so mean to me. WHY IS FATE SO FOUL?! I JUST WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU!"

A vein began to throb in Zero's temple. "You leaving is what's best for me."

"So mean." Kaien muttered as a foot slammed into his backend, sending him sprawling out the door. Grunting as he landed in the front lawn, Kaien started his hysterics once more. "I UNDERSTAND. I AM UNNEEDED. AFTER ALL I'VE DONE—"

"Yuuki is probably getting harassed at school as we speak and you're sitting here spewing nonsense."

As if Zero had just pointed a loaded gun at his head, the blonde froze. His body lying in a heap on the ground.

Zero mentally counted down the time until he unthawed from his current state. '1…2…3.'

"I'M COMING MY DEAR YUUKI. DO NOT FEAR, DADDY IS HERE!"

Watching with a half bemused twinkle in his eye as Kaien all but flew to his car, Zero propped himself up against the wooden frame of his door. He stood there until the sleek black vehicle was receding from sight down the road.

He gave the already gone vehicle a small wave. Bidding the lunatic a goodbye.

With that, Zero promptly shut his front door. That was almost too easy, he decided. Maybe he knew that guy a little too well. Releasing a sigh for the hundredth time that day, the male threaded his long digits into his silver locks, pulling the bangs back away from his face in a fist. Now he needed to get to work.

Facing his back towards the door, Zero glanced over at the suitcases.

_What the actual hell?_

Blinking in surprise, Zero stared wide eyed at the mess before him. The suitcases were flung open, and scattered every which way as though someone had barged into the pile. Most of them were empty, his belongings scattered across his plush carpet, all mixed together.

Zero immediately felt a burning anger towards Cross.

_Last time I'm nice to his sorry ass._

Damning kindness to the fiery depths of hell, he knelt down beside his suitcases and he began to pick up his items. One by one.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Three hours.

180 minutes of his life, _wasted._

He could not believe this. It had taken him that long to simply pick up all his crap and organize it the way he wanted to originally. That was three hours shoved down the drain because of a task that shouldn't have even taken a full forty minutes, let alone one hundred eighty! Growling to himself in a vindictive manor oozing contempt for his adoptive father, Zero placed the last of his shirts—a polyester one colored the shade of the morning sky-on a hanger, placing it in his closet to reside with the rest. Then he jerked his closet shut with a snap of his wrist and in a swift stride stalked over to his bed.  
He wasted no time in stripping off his shirt, pulling the article of clothing over his head to be tossed mercilessly onto the floor. Next came his faded blue jeans. Kicking them off his long pale legs and hopping around in only his ebony boxers, Zero felt immediate relief when they were freed from his feet, then he eyed his well-earned prize. A mattress that resembled sanctuary and blankets which called him forth like a siren.

He obeyed their enticing song.

Plopping down on his bed -which was another gift from Kaito-with a very audible groan, Zero dropped his forearm across his face. The minute his back hit the soft plush of his bed, Zero fell into bliss. His limbs and back were aching, and the softness enveloping his form was beginning to stroke away the tension, keeping it at bay. Soon, the boy wanted nothing more than to dwell into the land of sleep. With eyelids heavy and lilac irises blurring the lines of reality with his exhaustion, Zero had decided to slip his eyes shut. Sleep pulling him in with open arms, encircling his waist as he took a deep breath into unco-

BEEP BEEP!

Zero's eyes snapped open with complete murder.

BEEP BEEP!

Rolling over onto his side, Zero shot his hand out to retrieve his phone that was going off at the most inconvenient time possible. Why did he even own a damn cell phone?! Letting out a rumble that sounded suspiciously like a growl, his fingers curled around the device and the moment they did Zero smacked the phone to his ear with a very annoyed, "_What!_?"

There was silence on the other line before a very girly voice erupted into his ear, nagging him about how that's no way to answer a phone. Instantly, he put a face to the voice, Yuuki. Letting out a weary sigh, Zero rolled back over onto his back, getting comfortable. "What do you want?" He asked, knowing there was no way he would be able to just ignore the girl. He's tried—the little demon is persistent.

"I wanted to ask how things were going!" The silent 'duh' made his eye twitch.

"I just left. I have nothing to say." Zero reminded her, and to that she let out a huff, going on and on about how it feels like he's been gone forever and that he could at least humor her with a response. The entire time she talked his ear off, he could picture her expression as she did so. Big brown eyes glossed with fierce determination to hold his attention and pouty lips set into a tiny frown, her hands would be on her hips, and sooner than he would want, she'd whack him in the head—her mouth splitting open into a carefree smile that he cherished. He missed her already, her and her chocolate strands that flowed around her shoulders.

His mind wandered to a time long before now.

_"This is Zero, treat him kindly Yuuki…he'll be living with us for a while."_

_He had been shaking at that time, pouring all his hatred into the ground with his eyes. It was then he saw a pair of tiny white socks inching towards him. He hadn't bothered to look up; he was too busy trying to stop shaking._

_Then small fingers reached out to touch his shoulder and he had looked up sharply. He was struck by such a simple face, younger than his own, staring at him with complete concern. There was no pity there, just pure worry. He remembered that those eyes had scared him, and as he traced the outline of her features, he wanted to cry. And he didn't know why, but those long strands of brown and those eyes so close to wine, made him want to cry. They reminded him of something._

_He had backed away and the little girl had hesitated before advancing again. This time, her warm, warm, hand had grasped his own. He felt the shaking stop and when he stared at her, lips sealed shut with cement, she had smiled. "I'll take care of you," she had promised and she had kept her word._

_Those warm hands, he wanted to never let them go._

"Zero! Are you listening to me?"

Zero blinked away the random memory that had invaded his mind, and cussed internally. "Yeah."

He heard her huff over and the next thing he knew, she was asking him to repeat what she said.

It was then, staring at the rough pebbled ceiling above him, that he resigned himself to his fate. He was never getting off the damn phone. No, she was going to nag him to hell and back the minute she realized he zoned. Kneading his fingers in circular motion on his temple, Zero grunted out a very simple, "You're annoying."

Then it began. The two had continued to spew insults back and forth over the phone for a good half an hour. It was like a game to them and for a good while, it seemed like it would never come to a close. But then Zero's stomach let out a growl that had his cheeks coloring pink.

Clearing his throat as Yuuki's giggle sounded in his ear, Zero quickly made up an excuse to get off the phone, "I have to go. Some people actually have to do things tomorrow."

She had let out an insulted huff at the jibe, but she let him go nonetheless, "Alright, bye Zero!"

With an unconscious light burning in his lilac hues, Zero said goodbye. But before he could hang up, she spoke again, "Oh um, and I love you…goodnight!"

Zero felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his skull. The three words, so innocent yet foreign, were echoing around inside his skull. Bouncing off the walls of his enclosed mind to tease his brain some more. Did she really just say that? His heart beat increased; his vision becoming sharper. What should have been happiness…morphed. His voice deepened into a tone of agitation, "Excuse me?"

A stutter became apparent in the girl's voice, "I… what's wrong? Friends say that to each other all the time…so I just thought…" Her voice trailed off and Zero wanted slap himself across the face. Thinking too much, that was his downfall. Pushing back the anger he felt with both hands, Zero tried to get a hold of his irrational feelings.

"Nothing, never mind." Closing his eyes, Zero went to repeat the phrase back to her, "I love—" A noise that signified his phone shutting off hit his ears. Blinking twice in shock, he stared at his suddenly black phone screen. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he clicked a button, only for it to remain dark. The battery died. But the last he checked, he had a damn near full charge. Frowning, Zero merely shrugged and tossed the blasted thing on his nightstand, rolling out of bed to head downstairs to get something to eat.

He'd worry about his phone later.

Stepping down the steps, two at a time, he made away his over to the kitchen at a relatively fast pace. He didn't stop to admire his new, yet distinctly familiar, surroundings. He just skittered past everything in favor of swinging open the fridge, the artificial light casting color over his pale face. Clicking his tongue, he roamed his gaze over the contents. There wasn't much to choose from, but Zero could care less at the moment. Demanding fingers shot out to grasp the nearest edible item, the cool flesh of a nectarine sending slithers of baby smooth pleasure over the trails and dips in his fingers. Bringing it to his lips, they parted in welcome, pearly white teeth slicing into its side, the skin breaking away for juice to squirt across the inside of his mouth. It was delicious, Zero acknowledged as his tongue lapped up the liquid that had escaped his cavern. With another bite into the fruit, the male backed away from the fridge as the light faded away behind the closing door.

For a second he just stood there, in the dark of the room. The only source of light was from a window adjacent to his position, moonlight bathing a section of the tiled floor with its brilliance. Zero was never the type to be afraid of the dark, in fact, the lack of his light was his domain, free from the stress of the day. So it came as a bit of a shock to him when he started feeling a bit creeped out. Standing in the black shades of the wall, Zero halfheartedly ate another piece of his snack. His mind was no longer focused on the taste, rather, he found himself resisting the urge to sprint up the stairs to his room.

It was like the longer he stood pliant, the louder the alarms went off in his head.

_Get away. Get away. You have to get away._

His mind screamed at him, his chest tightening as his teeth ground the substance in his mouth to mush.

_But from what…?_

Shivering from something other than the cold, Zero swallowed the lump in his throat. His appetite was gone, with the cold water that splashed heavily in his face at the unmistakable sensation of being watched. Zero—as calmly as possible—placed his neglected, half eaten nectarine on the counter.

He took a deep breath.

Breathing In. Then out.

Then his legs were pulling him away from the kitchen at a steady pace, the hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention. He didn't look back, even as he passed the basement door and he felt his wind pipe fail him, he refused to turn around. His face was set in stone; he didn't feel anything. He didn't.

His bare feet thudded against the cool wood of the stairs, his legs pumping as he all but jogged up the stairs. Zero was a prisoner of his own need to escape. He didn't break away from his hasty movements, not even after he was in the safety of his own room. A light jog still heavy in his limbs, Zero practically launched onto his bed. His pretty face becoming hidden underneath the covers in two seconds.

He stayed there, buried under his blankets, like a two year old. And he didn't even know why; he didn't even want to think about it. His heart pounding in his ears.  
Zero fell asleep like that, feeling the most vulnerable he ever has in his life.

In his dreamless state, he heard a voice, much like his own but younger, saying a name with complete and utter infatuation, "_Kaname-kun_!"

* * *

Shallow breaths that sounded like music to his ears, wrapped themselves around his presence. As if he had been summoned by the boy's breathing alone, he found himself wickedly amused where he stood.

There in front of him, hidden from his view in a bundle of rightfully placed fear, was his deepest obsession. Ten years, he had been deprived of it. Locked away in this desolate place.

A soft chuckle, rich like the darkest chocolate, swept through the air of the Kiryu household. Fingers, pristine white and sculpted from marble, slid out to dance along the rumples blankets crinkled at the ends created. The fabric had the texture of withered cotton, and the finger tips scraping among it flinched pleasantly. A mop of brown hovered over where his hand had traced, tendrils of dark hair brushing over the covers as the man took a deep breath.

The smell of lilacs and earth assaulted his superior senses, and he smiled. It was him. He was positive now. _Kiryu-kun._

A wicked smile grew more prominent on the man's full lips, his wine colored orbs staring down at the lump in the bed. Peeling back the covers discreetly, his eyes mapped out the teen's face with vigor.

Beautiful, just as he was when he was just a child. The boy's silver locks still sparkled and fell into deep amethyst gems that now resembled stone. All the while still resembling his younger self, except now, the boy had lost all his baby fat, leaving a strong jawline and sharp features in its wake. Lips, enticingly full and cherry blossom pink, contradicted with his strong features of a man.

A hum of approval vibrated from the observer, his thick lashes hooding his eyes a tad as he leaned forward, a glint forming in his burning orbs. "It seems you don't remember me, Kiryu-kun."

The moonlight haired teen seemed to stiffen in his sleep and cool air fell from his mouth to breeze over the slumbering man's ear, "That will have to be remedied."

The body beneath him curled into itself, trembling softly.

Kaname loved it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **. . . That came out nothing like I initially planned. Whatever, this is chapter one, please review, follow, etc. Any feedback is welcome and is greatly appreciated.


	2. The issues with redecorating

A Decayed Rose.

Chapter Two: The issues with redecorating.

Warnings: Adult content in later chapters, profanity, AU, slight OOC for plot line purposes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or its respective characters.

* * *

A bright red curtain was shoved in his face, the garnet colored cloth an inch away from smothering his mouth.

"Don't just stand there and slack off, Zero!" Yuuki's voice lectured as he pushed away the offending object, "You asked me for my help and then you just stand there and do nothing! Jeez, you can at least try and be helpful." Even before the cloth had been completely pushed out of his vision, he knew the petite girl would have her hands firmly planted on her hips.

As the cloth freed his eyesight from its prison, he wasn't the least bit surprised to see he was right.

Dropping his impassive gaze to the girl's fiery orbs, Zero let out a scoff. "Don't act so high and mighty, all you've done so far is pick out a pair of curtains." To emphasize his point, Zero snatched the overly familiar curtains away from the girl's hands and casually waved them in her face.

"..Eh…" Yuuki stared at him for a moment, her brown orbs comically wide as she became flustered, and Zero waited for her to respond, or for the gears in her head to finally stop working under her low ability to think coherently. Either or. "That's not the point! The point is I came all the way here to help you-"

"You've been wanting to come over anyway," Zero reminded her swiftly in a bored tone.

Yuuki's eye started to twitch before she carried on as if the boy hadn't interrupted, "out of the kindness of my heart."

Zero raised a brow at that, clearly showing his disbelief, which earned him a harsh glower from the younger girl. She stomped her foot and thrusted her finger into Zero's face.

"And all you do is stand there and watch me!"

"I was waiting for you to do something useful," was the easily conjured explanation.

Just like that, a little fist that felt more like a tiny pebble came crashing into his spine. Bending backwards in a small jolt of pain, Zero let out a small grunt, glancing over his shoulder to see Yuuki's little head dipped in anger, her fists repeatedly slamming into his back. "This is the last time I help you!" She announced, landing one final blow to his abused spinal column.

Zero was having none of that. Gritting his teeth, he whirled around and swiftly placed her arm beneath her knees, scooping her up into his arms, bridal style, before stomping across the room, ignoring her cries of how he was a stupid jerk, "This is the last time I ask for your help," Zero retorted, when her body was completely through the arch in the hallway, he dropped her promptly on her ass.

The minute she hit the floor with a loud thump, Yuuki jumped to her feet and huffed at him. Amused by the reaction, Zero watched as her expression shifted to show that she was trying to think of a comeback, and when her lip was drawn in between her white teeth, he knew she was failing miserably. He had won again. The faintest form of a smirk made refuge on his lips, and Yuuki must have seen it because the next thing he knew, her cheeks were red with fury.

Her hand came out defiantly to slap him on the arm, before she stomped towards the kitchen, mumbling something or other about getting more boxes. Zero rolled his lilac gaze toward the ceiling and shook his head, heading back to the room they were working on. But not before he heard her shout, "Hang up the curtains!"  
_  
_Zero shot the direction she was in a dirty look.

_So bossy._

Sparing a look to the curtains in his hand, he crinkled his nose at the obnoxiously bright red color. He hoped to whatever deity exists that she knew what the hell she was doing. With those thoughts, he began hanging up the curtains, pushing the fabric along the crisp black rods one piece at a time.

_"You'd make an excellent housewife."_

The thought passed through his head without warning, and he furrowed his brows, continuing his work.

He had been spending too much time around Kaito.

"Ugh!" A loud thump sounded from behind him, and he turned to see Yuuki dragging a box half her size into the living room. Her slender digits were curled around the edge, white with strain, as she kept repositioning herself to push and tug the box into the room. It was only moving an inch each time she tackled it with a new formation, and the bead of sweat sliding down her face was proof enough that she was getting nowhere, fast.

Zero concluded that he simply had to everything.

Retracting his hands from the freshly placed drapes, Zero stepped away from the light shining through the glass in tendrils, to maneuver towards the struggling girl.

"Move," Zero said as his pale hands fell down to cover hers, gently taking them off the box. The young girl nodded, and stepped back when her hands were no longer being held in his own, her features hidden when she decided that the floor looked interesting. Paying her reaction no mind, Zero hauled the box up into his arms, and carried it towards the middle of the room, setting it down where it would stay out the way.

Once the box was firmly placed on the ground, Yuuki approached him again, a cheery smile on her lips, "Thanks, Zero!"

Grunting in reply, Zero crouched beside the heavy cardboard box, his elbows resting on his jean clad knees while he examined it. "What's in it?" Zero finally questioned, his eyebrow rising when he tilted up his chin to peer up at Yuuki.

Her eyes kindled with excitement at the question, and she immediately shot down to sit on her knees beside Zero. "It's a box of pictures! I thought you might want them."

Zero was about to ask how many damn pictures were in there, when Yuuki started ripping open the lid to get at the pictures beneath. She succeeded in her goal, and her hands were suddenly holding a picture by her face, the smile on her face growing brighter with every second that she held it. "Look, this is from when we started school!"

Sure enough, it was.

In the picture, Zero was staring with a frown at the camera and Yuuki was behind, barely managing to peer over his shoulder as she grinned widely. He remembered distinctly that she had tricked him into taking that photo, blackmailing him with a photo of him in his boxers and pigtails in his hair, but nevertheless, she was happy that she had managed to get a picture with him.

"And this one is when we first went to the beach!"

The picture was replaced by another, and Zero actually cracked a smile at this one. He remembered that vacation all too well. The Chairman had insisted they took some time off to "push along their family love" and the entire thing had ended up a disaster. What was supposed to be a relaxing getaway had turned into a hazardous mess. Yuuki had gotten lost three times, Kaien had accidently blown up the microwave (which had gotten them banned from the resort), and he himself had come back home resembling more of a lobster than anything else. The vacation overall just sucked. And yet, in that frame, it showed Yuuki sporting her blue bikini, a soft pink hue on her cheeks as she laughed, putting sand in his silver locks. His face screamed annoyance, but even he could tell that his eyes were light with hilarity in the photo.

He had been happy on that vacation. Though, he couldn't fathom why.

"We should go there again sometime." Yuuki stated in an almost hopeful tone, staring at the photo with a fondness that surpassed his.

Zero couldn't help but let out a sound of disbelief, "I doubt that."

Yuuki tore her gaze away from the image frozen in time, "huh? Why not?"

With an eye roll, Zero stated the obvious, "We were banned from there, for life."

"Oh…yeah." Straightening from her kneeling position, Yuuki's locks of short brown hair spewed around her shoulders, her arms bundling up as many photos as she could handle at once, "I'm going to start hanging these up." Marching over to the left side of the house, she began putting the pictures on the dry wall but the first one fell to the carpet without a hitch, as did the second one.

"…Idiot. You need to put _nails_ in the wall first."

Zero watched with keen eyes as the tips of her ears turned pink.

"Can it!"

Ruffling the back of his hair with his hand, Zero went into the kitchen to retrieve the hammer and nails under the sink. Sticking one of the nails between his teeth, the taste of metal splashing on his taste buds, Zero grabbed the box of nails, and reached inside for the hammer. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance when his digits met nothing but the empty cupboard floor. Pushing the nail to the side of his mouth with his tongue, Zero shouted while gripping the nail, "Where did you put the hammer?"

"I didn't touch it!"

_Great. _Groaning in frustration under his breath, Zero set the container of nails on the counter along with the one that had been in his mouth, and began to search for the hammer that was not in the place he had last put it.

Completely unaware of the wine hues that watched him crawl around the floor, a hammer sitting in cold fingers.

* * *

Delicate fingers flipped through the rest of the pictures as Yuuki waited for Zero, her sparkling irises locked onto the memories carved in each still moment. She was surprised to see just how little of the photos included a smiling Zero. She knew he didn't smile much, if hardly ever, but it was still disappointing to acknowledge. Frowning in a soft fashion, Yuuki could only find one picture of him smiling, it was a picture of him before he had become a part of her life. He was smiling at what appeared to be a tree, alone by himself in his backyard. He had a book in his lap, and he appeared content. But that was before his family had…

Yuuki still couldn't image the pain Zero had to endure when his family had died.

Something so horrible, she couldn't comprehend it, she could try, but she'd never truly understand. The same way she could never fully understand Zero… but she knew him well enough. That's why she knew that despite how he acted, that Zero wasn't okay. Zero was hurting, and she didn't know how to help him. Feeling something warm build up in her eyes to wet her lashes, Yuuki quickly scrubbed at her face with her shirt sleeve. It was selfish, perhaps maybe even immature, but she wanted to be the one to help Zero move on. She always tried to be there for him, let herself be his shoulder to cry on, but Zero never fully let her in. There was a wall between them that she simply couldn't climb. The wall was removed when everything was carefree, but the minute Zero's eyes darkened with pain, she was pushed away. It hurt her; Zero was always there for her and he wouldn't let her do the same.

She felt weak.

Biting her lower lip softly, Yuuki batted her thick lashes to fend away anymore tears. The girl knew, as she set aside another picture, that she'd just have to be patient. She would stand by Zero, whether he pushed her away or not because…

A blush crept up on her features as her eyes landed on the image staring up at her from her lap. In her lap, was a peacefully sleeping Zero with a younger version of herself curled up next to him, her long strands of brown hair splayed out on the ground as she buried her face in his neck, her hand sprawled right across his chest.

_Her fingers ran through silver bangs as the boy slept, a smile on her face. "Goodnight, Zero." She said, right before her eyelids had begun to droop._

Because she loved him.

She hugged the picture to her chest, silently making a note to thank her father for taking the picture sometime in the future.

"What are you doing?"

Yuuki let out a screech.

* * *

"Z-Zero! Don't sneak up on me like that! You overgrown jerk!"

The insults came out to play. Leveling the brunette with an impatient look, Zero thrusted out the hammer and box towards her. Barely waiting for her to grab it, he released them into her palms, and briskly stalked over towards the furniture.

Placing both his hands on the edge, he turned his head towards her, biting back his irritation from earlier, "Where do you want these?"

Yuuki, who had already begun to smack the nails into the wall, tilted her head for a moment before speaking, "You can put the couch along the center wall by the door, push the love seat to the left wall and set the recliner at an angle towards the right. That way it'll make a circle to surround the T.V!"

Following her instructions, Zero did as he was told. When he began to lift the recliner off the ground, small bits of moisture dampening his forehead as if someone had dabbed his head with a wet washcloth, Zero let his curiosity come forth, "Where did you get that idea from?"

"The internet."

Zero let out a snort, dropping the recliner in its assigned place.

Pivoting his hips, he checked to see how far along Yuuki was, when he took notice of something immediately, "What the hell is that?"

"Huh?" Yuuki stopped mid-movement, the frame halfway onto the nail, "What?"

Pointing at the large object resting against the wall at an angle, Zero repeated, "What the hell is _that_?"

Yuuki glanced down to where he was pointing before made a small noise of surprise and smiled, "It's a painting! Isn't it pretty?"

Not bothering to actually look at it, Zero nodded his head. "Where did it come from?" He did not recall being an art collector.

"I found it in the closet, I thought it would be a nice addition."

The sound of the frame scraping the wall hit Zero's ears as Yuuki resumed her task. And Zero mauled over the idea of having a picture that didn't belong there in his closet.

_Zero had looked everywhere, __**everywhere**__, for the hammer. But it was as good as gone. Glaring daggers at the counter with a vein throbbing in his forehead, Zero was ready to punch a hole in the wall._

_Taking a deep breath, he tried to figure out where else he could have possibly put it. His mind was coming up with a blank. To his frustration, he was certain he had put the tool in this room._

_Cussing in a hushed murmur, Zero whipped around to leave the room, settling on just making her use a rock, when a loud clang underneath the sink made him halt._

_Approaching the sink, Zero squatted down to open the cupboard doors, and felt his eyes widen._

_He stared at the hammer lying innocently in the middle of the cupboard._

Zero's brows drew together, but he decided to just let it go.

Moving over to the painting, Zero picked up, and at that moment, Yuuki finished hanging up the last of the pictures from her pile.

When she was beside him, she tugged his collar, "hey, give me a boost, I'll hang it up in the middle of all the pictures."

"Do I look like a stepping stool to you?" He asked sarcastically, then in order to just get everything done and over with, he reluctantly crouched down. With his gaze trained on the wall, he felt as she slid her legs around his shoulders, her thighs awkwardly pressed against the side of his head. Heat pooled in his cheeks, but he held any perverted thoughts at gun point, arresting them before they even had a chance to form.

"All right, now stand up."

Cautiously, Zero gripped her knees, and stood. He could feel when she shifted the painting, her weight shifting drastically every time she did so. This continued on for a few moments before she let out a victory shout, and when she did, he instantaneously dropped down so she could crawl off.

Yuuki stepped down, and skittered backwards to get a good look at the painting in all its glory. "We'll just have to move it when you get a T.V. but for now, I think it looks nice! What do you think Zero?"

Glancing up at it, Zero felt something inside him pull…"Decent."

Yuuki made a sound similar to a strange mixture between a growl and a whine, "You're so grumpy." She prodded her finger into his cheek, "you should smile more."

Zero's only response to her was a scowl and she looked away with a petite frown making her lips pouty. "Fine, don't then."

Watching her from the corner of his eyes, he noted the minor drop in her expression, the way her eyes dulled a smidge. He didn't like it. Submitting to his desire to see her smile, he reached up and threaded his fingers in her hair, noticing how her eyes widened, then gently thrusted his fingers out, pushing her head to the side.

The smile slipped back on her face like a missing puzzle piece, her hips jutting out to nudge against his own.

"Oi, Zero can I spend the night tonight?"

In a moment, he was caught completely off guard.

"Why?"

Yuuki grinned up at him and crossed her arms, her legs set apart as she nodded to herself, "Because I miss you, that's why."

Her logic didn't make any sense to him. Glossing his eyes over to the watch on his wrist, Zero pointed out a fact she seemed to have overlooked. "We just spent three hours together."

The girl visibly deflated. "…Okay, so I forgot my wallet and I have no way to get home and I don't want to endure a car ride with my dad today! Please Zero, don't make me go home."

The truth came out, and Zero wanted to bash his face into a wall. Glaring at her as she deflated more under his stare, he towered over her, his lips set into a deep scowl.

"Yuuki Cross," he growled out her name in a voice that was sharp around the edges, a knife that had just been slid across a block to perfection.

The girl flinched, "…Yes?"

"You are a pain in my ass."

"Thank you!"

Throwing her arms around the male's hard chest, she gave him a quick hug and bounded up the stairs to use the shower. "I'm all sweaty, I'm going to go take a shower! I'll be back down in a bit. Don't mess up my hard work!"

_Wouldn't dream of it_, Zero thought snidely before he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingertips. Now he had to figure out what to make them both for dinner and find a spare blanket so she could crash on his couch.

Then again, he could let her starve. He could live with that. But not so much the fact that she would steal his food if he didn't make her any.

Damn, dinner for two it was.

He'd get right on that after he finished scraping together the living room. He grabbed the few remaining photos out the bin and began pounding the metal, his fury guiding every inch into the defenseless drywall.

* * *

Zero was lying horizontal on his carpeted floor, doing nothing but staring at his ceiling, as he waited for Yuuki to get done doing whatever the hell she was doing in the shower.

Another minute passed, and the scenery around him grew duller.

This was getting him nowhere.

Pulling himself up into a sitting position, Zero gave his living room a long look, a sense of nostalgia striking his core. This was the first time since he had moved in and started throwing his belongings around, that he actually paid attention to his surroundings. Even though the room looked nothing like when he first moved in, he could still feel the deep string of attachment within him yank. Where the long garnet drapes framed his windows, he could barely recall the tattered beige ones that had hung there before hand, the dust on the window completely eradicated by Yuuki's motivated hands, leaving behind a spotless view of the woods that stood guard outside his home. With such minor improvements, it was like his old house was fading away. Trailing his distant gaze over the walls filled neatly with pictures both old and new, Zero drifted further into the past. The longer he gazed at the walls around him, the more drawn into the past he became, entangled with images long left forgotten.

In the corner, he could see the silhouette of his father casually leaning against the crackling fireplace, the glow of orange making his eyes that crinkled with affection kindle even brighter, his upturned mouth wrapped around his favorite brand of nicotine. That was where he had always stood whenever family bonding time had come around. It was always the same spot, nestled comfortably against the crook between the wall and the stone lip of the fireplace. The beige curtain tucked behind his towering frame.

_"Honey, get off the damn curtain. You're going to wrinkle it."_

Flicking his gaze over to where the leather recliner sat, Zero replaced the image with a homely cream colored couch, where he could clearly see his mother sit, her lips pulled down into a disapproving frown that was usually aimed at his father or Ichiru, never him. Her voice rang through his head like a long awaited reunion, sprinkling over him in droplets of water. They slid down his chest, straight past his barriers to slip into his heart. He blinked and the images of his parents were gone, the old images that had born fruit in his mind receding away into the fogged part of his memory where an innocent Ichiru twirled in the shadows, protecting his deepest longing from his conscious mind. In a similar way to how he had protected his brother, long ago.

He realized shortly after they had vanished, Ichiru shutting the door tightly, that he was saying goodbye to a home that had already been hanging onto his memory from a string.

_"The first step is accepting what happened. Only then will you be able to move forward…I believe I can prescribe you something to help the process along, however, your hallucinations are… very concerning."_

_"They're not hallucinations. Ichiru was here, he told me that it was my fault he died! He…"_

_The doctor pushed his glasses up higher on his nose, the light catching it just right to make them flash with warning, "The pills are easily within your caretaker's price range. I'll write a subscription now."_

_"I don't need your damn pills! I need to find out what the hell happened and nobody will help me!"_

_"I'm trying to help you. Calm down, Zero, I—"_

_"SHUT UP! I can do this on my own, get away from me!"_

_The physiatrist stared at him in pity before he nodded._

_Zero hated it. The disgusting emotion…he didn't need anyone's pity, he'd just hurt himself when no one was around anyway. Like a frightened snake coiled to strike, Zero stared down his doctor. "I mean it, no pills."_

A second realization came forth, he was extremely good at self-torture. Bringing a hand up to shield his right eye and hide his face from the world, he picked up the pieces of his sanity that had crumbled to the floor. He needed to get a grip, his parents were never coming back, the dead didn't return, no matter what, no matter how much you wanted them to.

They were six feet under and they weren't going to magically start breathing again.

Accepting the facts, Zero was made his way to his feet, and was left standing in the middle of the room, feeling completely and utter alone. The distant sound of the shower running upstairs doing little to soothe the storm inside. But the girl rinsing off beneath his shower head, would never know that anyway. Zero hated bottling everything up inside, especially when Yuuki was offering him her hand every step of the way, but it was necessary; he would never rely on someone else.

Of that he was certain.

Forcing the sudden bundle of loneliness down his throat-in a very similar manner to how he'd force himself to eat the Chairman's "cooking"—Zero distracted himself by focusing on his new living room, not the one from his memories.

Studying the room with a critical eye, his gaze swept over the newly positioned furniture. The 400 square foot room was layered in shades of red and black—though it hadn't been his first choice, Yuuki thought it would go together well with the items she had collected for her project. With an oak coffee table situated in a half open circle formed by his dark leather furniture set, which consisted of a sofa, a loveseat and a recliner, the room was arguably elegant, and completely not his style. The only thing he actually admired about the display was the object hanging securely on the wall, proudly standing out amongst the pictures aligning the walls with fond memories, the simple center piece of the room that drew it all together.

It was the beautiful rose painting that Yuuki had found stored away in the closet beside the stairs. Lifting up his hand, the silverette gently brushed away the dust that had collected on its oak frame, the specks of gray fluttering past his vision. Zero still didn't have a clue where it had come from, but he had to admit, upon closer inspection, that it definitely had a certain appeal to it. Floating in the middle of a black lake with realistic ripples in the water, the bright red flower was bathed in moonlight. The flower also had dull green thorns constricting around its vivid crimson petals, the rose glaring out in potent vengeance towards its captive, the petals gently tearing at the edges. To Zero, it was like looking into the heart of someone who had lost their purpose; a broken and desolate being. A pair of warm wine colored eyes flashed inside his mind, and he frowned.

Moving his fingers gently away from the wood, he brushed them over the canvas in a soft stroke. His fingertips rippling over ever small dip in the smooth surface. The painting felt so real… his eyelids fell heavily over his eyes, and he slid his hands down the drawing, a solid heartbeat thrumming in his ears.

_"What's your favorite flower?"_

_"Roses, red ones. They remind me of home." A gentle hand petted through silver locks, and those warm eyes landed on him again, "What is your favorite flower, Kiryu-kun?"_

_"I like…" He bit his lip, trying to think, but only one answer came to mind, "roses."_

_An amused chuckle hit his ears, "Red ones?"_

_"…No." A simple denial._

_"Then what is your favorite?"_

_"I don't have one."_

_The laugh sounded again, and Zero felt his cheeks grow hot._

Persistent warmth brewed in his sallow cheeks and Zero's lips gently parted, his brows scrunching when his head began to throb in blistering pain. _Who had he been talking to?_ _Why couldn't he remember?_ Silky brown hair drenched in darkness crept behind his vision, his heartbeat increasing and his tongue going dry. The name on the tip of his tongue seemed so far away. His touch ghosted past the red to scrape over a thorn, pressing down on a dull spike.

"What the fuck?!" Zero's eyes shot open, his hand recoiling from the painting in a harsh movement. Glancing down at his finger, Zero blinked in shock as blood oozed from a prick located at the tip of his digit. The stunned male shot his questioning gaze onto the old artwork, staring at it with complete confusion. Bringing his other hand up to the painting, he poked the thorns surrounding the rose, and nothing happened.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Glancing back down at his finger that now had trails of red flowing in rivulets down his flesh, Zero could only say the one thing on his mind.

"What the fuck?"

Maybe that damned doctor had been right, maybe he was insane.

* * *

Luxuriously hot water sprayed over her flesh in waves of comfort, the steam a blanket to shield her developing body away from prying eyes. Her short strands of hair clung to her neck in an affectionate embrace, leaving lingering kisses on her shoulder blades when water glided from the tips to trail down her frame. She exhaled, her head tipping back for her hair to reach out and caress her upper back, while the jets of bliss smothered her exposed neck.

The last of the feathery white suds fell away from her body, marching with an army of white down the drain.

Yuuki grasped the slippery knobs in her hands, and turned, ending her moment of relaxation.

She stepped out, a towel being pulled against her chest to wrap around her body in a fluid movement, her bare feet padding across the cold tiled floor towards the mirror. Pressing her forearm against the fogged glass, she scrubbed her reflection in the mirror. When her face was reflected clearly back at her, she grabbed the brush on the counter, running it through her wet hair. She kept tugging at it, until it was to her liking, and hopefully Zero's too. Smiling, she set the brush back down and let the towel bow to her feet like a knight worshipping his princess. She began pulling on her long sleeved grey shirt, and stepped into her blue skirt, she reached for the towel to draw the remnants of water off her legs, when a chill sparked down her spine.

Pausing as she held the towel in her hand, she looked behind her, towards the bathroom door.

It was ajar slightly.

Quickly scrubbing her legs with the towel, she placed it on the counter and moved toward the door.

"Zero..?" She called quietly, peeking through the crack. There was no one there. Frowning, she went to pull the door shut and it hit something, a thud sounding towards the bottom of the door.

Yuuki lowered her gaze to the floor, and blinked in surprise, stuck between the door and the wall, was a little rose in a tiny but elegant glass hardened with…resin? She picked it up, and saw the tiny thorns surrounding the rose inside.

Blinking, she curled her fingers around the item and ran down the stairs, two at a time.

* * *

"How long does it take to take a shower?" Zero complained in a whisper, stirring the pasta in the boiling water with a ladle while he waited for the sauce to finish simmering on the burner adjacent to the pot. His arm rotating in a mechanical manner.

He felt a hand tug at the back of his shirt. Blinking, he was surprised to see Yuuki there, her blushed lips set in a firm line. He was expecting her to announce her presence like she usually did, all sunshine and laughter, but that wasn't the case.

"Yuuki?" He asked, his voice dropping a level in concern, and she met his eyes, seeming a tiny bit unsettled before she held up something to him, tilting her head, "Is this yours…?"

The immediate answer came out his mouth, "No, why—" He froze, and Yuuki looked at him, the concern brewing in her eyes.

He stared at the gift, knowing exactly what it was. A Resin Rose, wrapped with thorns of grief; exactly like the picture.

"Kaname…" His hand cupped the gift, pulling it away from her.

Yuuki stared at him in confusion, her hands feeling empty, "who's that?"

Zero's daze shattered away in clarity, "What?"

"The name you just said!"

Staring at her like she just grew another head and had announced she was secretly a demon overlord, Zero said slowly, "I didn't say a name."

Now Yuuki was staring at him like he was insane, "yes you did, you said Kaname! Whose Kaname?"

Zero's gaze faltered, and he looked to the side, shoving the gift in his pocket. "I have no idea."

* * *

A pair of eyes stayed trained on the pair sitting cozily at the dining room table, the observer's eyes narrowing in rage.

Every time Zero made a comment, the foreign woman would laugh, her cheeks the same shade as the blood he craved from the man she held a fancy to. It irritated him, the woman's ignorance. That man was not hers to desire.

Zero was his.

Kaname had marked his claim long before this moment.

Staring at her in distaste, Kaname moved his piercing gaze to rest on Zero, from his reaction to the girl's flustered appearance, he could easily deduct that the silverette was unaware of the girl's affection, not that he was surprised; Zero was completely oblivious when it came to feelings of the romantic nature. An innocence not many could even dream of maintaining.

Zero shifted in his chair, and Kaname's gaze was glued to the movement, watching as Zero brushed his fingers over his jean pocket, where the rose resided underneath.

The man in shadows smiled, "Looking at this rose, isn't it like looking into the heart of someone who has lost their purpose; a broken and desolate being?" He recited and watched as Zero subconsciously gripped the area over his pocket.

He would start remembering, soon enough. 

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, this chapter was two days behind schedule. This was originally supposed to be uploaded on the 25th of July, but due to the fact I've been sick, and still am while in the process of moving, it was uploaded today. My apologies, the next one will be on time. The next update is set for August 8th. Reviews, follows, and favorites, whatever you want to give me, is greatly appreciated. Until next time.


	3. No place like home

A Decayed Rose.

Chapter Three: No place like home.

Warnings: Adult content in later chapters, profanity, AU, slight OOC for plot line purposes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or its respective characters.

* * *

Zero was one hundred percent certain, so certain in fact that he would bet away his soul, that his house was haunted.

Sitting with an expression void of emotion, Zero rested his lilac irises on the resin rose settled neatly on his nightstand amongst the dust gathered there from his constant neglect. To any person that wasn't Zero, there would be absolutely nothing amiss about the beautiful ornament staring innocently back at him. But there was something horribly wrong with the picture, something Zero had been noticing happening a lot with the objects residing within the smothering walls of his home; the rose wasn't where he had last put it.

There was no mistaking it this time, Zero knew for a fact that he had put the rose on his bathroom counter last night. He had even gone out of his way to mark the spot he had placed it with a damn sharpie, as if to prove he really wasn't losing his mind. And lo and behold, there it sat on his nightstand instead, the red petals seeming to perk in excitement when his attention was locked onto its presence.

This was the fifth time it had happened this week. Ever since Yuuki had come over and discovered the hidden treasures buried within his house, the silverette had become more and more alert to the oddities transpiring around him. It had started out simple, a slight chill in the air when he entered certain rooms, a breeze flirting with his bangs while no windows were left ajar, but then after a few days, it slowly progressed into something he couldn't ignore. Doors had begun shutting by themselves after he would enter a room and items would end up going missing right beneath his nose or relocating without his aid. Yet the most unsettling thing was…

Zero trailed his gaze over to the wooden doorway connecting his room to the hall, his eyes peering into the darkness cloaked there within the shadows that blossomed from the window's sunlight to the right. Dark splotches seemed to dance in the shadows. He kept his gaze there, searching for a hint of movement. There was none. Sighing, Zero lowered his back onto his mattress, lying there meaninglessly. It was staring to unnerve him how he could never locate the figure when he wanted to. It was like he was being toyed with, but then again, he probably was. Maybe it was his punishment for always being skeptical. Being someone who had never believed in anything paranormal, it was a hard pill to swallow, acknowledging the fact there was nothing scientific about anything going on. But the final straw was when he had started to see the shadow of a man from the corner of his eye. It would appear without pattern, following his movements with precision and vanishing whenever he tried to capture a better glimpse. From what he could see from his limited view, the dark waves almost seemed alive as they moved as one being, a diminutive presence harbored away in the tainted shadow that left him feeling on edge. There was no way in hell he could explain that. No way in hell he could ever offer a logical reason for how it blended away into the wall without a problem. It couldn't be anything else other than a ghost.

_Right?  
_  
Feeling a headache coming on, Zero allowed his thoughts to drift into the back of his mind to rest under a blanket of his hidden insecurities. His fingers raking through his hair in an effort to soothe his restless mind.

When his head was clear, the throbbing in the back of his skull grew dormant, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Sitting up in his bed, Zero glanced at the neutral colored walls of his home without interest, a question getting past his defenses as it paraded around inside of mind. The thought refusing to leave.

But he honestly couldn't help but wonder…

If that thing truly was a spirit or not? Zero turned his head to look at the rose, and on cue, his chest tightened in a grief he couldn't comprehend fully. It was frustrating, and the longer he stared, the firmer his resolve became: He needed answers, and he needed them now.

Grabbing his coat and shuffling it on over his baby blue sweater, Zero snatched his house keys out of his pocket, and stalked outside after securely locking his front door.

With purpose in his limbs, the silverette briskly walked over to the one place that could give him the answers to the questions that plagued his mind.

* * *

Double doors composed of thick clear glass opened inward, and a horde of books marching from where the door touched the back wall, all the way to the back of the impressively grandiose building could be seen. The soldiers lining the shelves in perfect formation, withholding just about anything the mind could imagine. Master pieces of ideas and information scrawled out across pages to be worshiped by the public eye. Below the written brilliance, was a line of sleek, up to date, computers, the black machinery being accompanied by the bodies that were stationed neatly before them. Fingers typing away on the keyboards as a perfect unit. With resources at every corner, it was the ideal place to find reliable information.

The type of place Zero was in dire need of, in his shattered puzzle of a life.  
Fingers pulled back the hood of a rough jean jacket, and silver locks tumbled out from its confines.

"Welcome to the Nightingale Library, is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

Zero turned his head to glance in the direction the feminine voice had traveled from, a thin woman with fair features came into his sight. To the plain eye, she would've seemed like just another friendly attendant for the elegant room, with her homely eyes that crinkled with sincere amiability behind thin rimmed glasses, two ashen brown braids pulled over her petite shoulders that huddled in on herself, and a small, timid, smile breaking open over her petal pink lips. She looked like just a cute girl trying to help the first person her welcoming eyes landed on. But Zero could see it…the girl was after more than just that.

The evidence was in the slight tremble to the girl's bare legs beneath her skirt and in the way her cheeks flushed into an unnatural blend of strawberry. He narrowed his eyes, and the girl flushed brighter, if possible. A mix between fear and embarrassment.

He decided to just to get it over with. "Do you have a computer I could use?" He asked, his voice not sparing her anything other than professionalism.

The girl recoiled slightly at his less than friendly tone, her doe eyes blinking at him in a way that suggested she was not used to such treatment. But after a moment, the girl had recomposed herself, a nervous simper passing over her face, "I-I…of course. Right this way. There's a few more in the back."

Zero nodded, falling into step behind her. She led him through towering bookshelves, which he roamed his gaze over in appreciation. He made a mental note to return here in the future, it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a good book. A good five years in fact.

He continued scanning the titles as they walked, but as they neared the end of one of the rows, the brunette's voice cut his search short.

"Here we are."

Zero looked at the area at the end of her outstretched arm, and gestured his head in thanks. Spotting a desolate computer in a corner away from prying eyes, Zero immediately stalked over to it, claiming the spot. Shrugging out of his jacket, he placed it on the back of his chair before beginning his investigation, quickly opening up the internet browser.

"Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" She inquired from behind him; curiosity a loud roar behind her words.

Clicking on the search bar with a tap of the mouse, Zero scowled. "Nothing I can't find on my own."

There was a pause, and Zero was tempted to peek at the girl over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't made her cry. But he didn't need to.

After a few more passing seconds, she spoke, "okay, well I'll leave you to it, Mr.…?" She ventured, hoping that the male would give her his name. Despite the fact that the man was as impenetrable as stone fortress, there was just something about the mystified gleam in his eyes when he first saw the interior of the library that caught her interest. The boy was beyond attractive, and the wonder in his eyes just made her melt.

Zero didn't follow her mind set though, in fact, her presence was gradually growing more and more irritating.

Glancing up at her in annoyance, Zero bit back a sarcastic retort with a curt reply of "Zero Kiryu" before he was facing the brightly lit screen once more, his fingers pushing the keys in a fast dance across the keyboard.

"Well it was nice meeting you Kiryu-kun, I'm Shindo Nadeshiko if you need anything else." She introduced in a sweet voice, but Zero was already far away from her, a wall rearing between them as he became immersed with the riddle his brain was fixing to figure out, his eyes scanning the endless amount of documents popping up across the screen.

The girl frowned, a small crestfallen look appearing on her flushed face before she stepped away from the male politely, granting him his space.

He never even glanced her way.

Resignation was prominent in her heart as she set off to do her job, figuring there'd be other chances to get to know the silver headed male, or so she hoped.

* * *

More results than he ever could have anticipated jumped out at him from the screen, his eyes widening a fraction. Everywhere he glanced on the page his home address glared out at him with accusation, the headlines buzzing across his astonished mind at an alarming rate. Pictures of his home from ten years ago sitting in the top right corner, one of the images barred away with crime scene tape.

_He wrapped his arms around himself, the tears that had trailed down his face hours before, had long gone dry, leaving nothing but a numb sensation where the remnants had faded._

_Zero places his forehead onto his knees, a deep chasm forming between his heart and his body. He felt… nothing._

_He had **nothing**._

_Zero peered up through his lashes that were still heavy with moisture to reveal amethyst orbs that were spiked with disdain. How could anyone be so heartless? What right did they have to take their lives! None! None at all! With anger battling through the numbing sensations in his lungs with a sword, Zero lifted his head off his knees, to look over at the blood matted in silver locks identical to his own._

_Why couldn't they have killed him instead?_

_Crawling over to the horribly pale face of his twin brother, Zero placed Ichiru's head on his lap, his fingers trembling as his brother's blood stained his green pajama bottoms. He stared blankly at the peaceful face of Ichiru, remembering how he had always sworn to protect him from harm. He had sworn on his own life and had spent every day by his twin's side. Ichiru was his other half, and now he was gone. Did that mean a part of him had died too?_

_Zero didn't know how long he sat there in that hellish place, but the next thing he knew red and blue lights cut through the dark invading his household, flashing through his living room window to highlight the blood soaked forms of his family's corpses._

_Then the blaring sound of sirens snapped him from his trance with a gentle tap on the cheek. Looking up, he watched in silence as his front door was kicked in, the large door bouncing off the wall with a loud smack as men in uniform came rushing in._

_It was at that moment, an emotion gorged through his heart to cause his chest to start heaving, spiders crawling inside his every pore to ignite the pitiful feeling he loathed the most: fear._

_Backing away from them while trying to hold everything inside, Zero huddled Ichiru's body close to his, bringing himself into a protective ball around his twin's dead body._

_"Go away!" He hissed, the tears that had vanished coming back through his voice._

_The men approached anyway, and Zero clenched his eyes shut, but bravely kept himself curled around his brother._

_A soft hand went through his hair and Zero's eyes snapped open, he thrusted out his arm, a loud smack echoing throughout the death filled room, his hand splayed out to the side, "Don't touch me!"_

_There was a ruffle of fabric, and Zero looked up to meet the sad grey eyes of the police officer, and the man slowly knelt down to his height, Zero's eyes cautiously watching his every move. Trust no one._

_"It's okay…you're safe now."_

_Safe._

_The word echoed in his head with a bell chime, warning him of the false poison behind its sugary promise. No place was safe…after all he had promised…_

_'I'll keep you safe Ichiru, forever.'_

_Zero hadn't meant to let a tear slip._

_He also hadn't meant to let the officer embrace him, rocking him back and forth as he cried for all he was worth._

_It would be the last time he showed weakness._

Tearing his eyes away from the photo, Zero hurriedly scrolled down the page to remove the reminder of the past from his sight. A deep breath being sucked in past his tongue to smoothly block the distinct rattle of pain in his chest. Pain was an emotion that had become a part of him long ago, and he successfully knew how to counter it. Years of practice had paid off. Anger was a much harder emotion to tame, however.  
_  
_Skimming the content in front of him with an incensed smirk playing on his mouth, Zero delved between each phrase before him, attempting to find anything that looked promising.

After a half an hour of seeing nothing but useless real estate commentary and articles about his own misfortune, Zero was ready to call it quits.

Then, he saw it._  
_  
'**In 1664, the Kiryu family was found dead in their home.'**

Blinking in shock, Zero reread the title of the article to make sure he read the date correctly. The numbers 1664 continuing to parade around before him, no matter how many times he read it. Not wasting another second, he clicked on the link.

The more he read, the larger the sickening pit of apprehension in his stomach grew.

**'In a tragic twist of events, the famous Kiryu couple Mrs. Aela and Mr. Takashi, were found dead in their home in September, 1664. After not hearing from either occupant for three days, neighbors checked the house in concern and had found the couple dead on their living room floor. According to official reports, the house was literally covered in blood, and the carnage was said to have even sprayed the walls. But the wounds on the bodies couldn't be matched with any weapon present at the time, and the case was left without much to go on. The basement was also left completely inaccessible, despite attempts to search the premises. It was a strange murder, that police, to this day, have not been able to give a detailed report on.'**

Zero stopped reading, his back slumping heavily against his chair. Running his fingers down the side of his neck, Zero unconsciously gripped at the soft tissue, confusion leaking into his system.

Everything that was written within the article matched the murder case of his own family, down to the the murder had happened long before the events that took place ten years ago.

Zero frowned.

'_This isn't making any damn sense.'_

Dropping his gaze down to the bottom section of the paragraph, Zero saw another link leading him to a more recent story involving his home. Hesitation forbidden from his digits, he continued to burrow for details.

**'The house was originally built in 1614 and miraculously has stayed in perfect habitual condition for the last 400 years. The rumor has it that the family that was murdered within the home 50 years after it was built, were the original people to request the house to be constructed. Mrs. Aela Kiryu and Mr. Takashi Kiryu had specially designed each room. To the present day, the house belongs strictly to the descendants of the Kiryu lineage and would have to be sold by someone of that lineage in order to purchase the beautiful home. '  
**_  
'Well, that was helpful.'_ Zero thought sarcastically before he drummed his digits over his thigh, his brain trying to process the information he had received. His house was 400 years old, and hadn't seemed to age a day since its creation. Something about that just didn't add up. Fighting back the headache that was beginning to return with vengeance from earlier, the male shoved his will power into overdrive, forcing himself to read further down the words holding a deeper complexity than he had expected.

He only spotted two more lines of interest, but aside from that he was left feeling completely out of his element.

**'A second murder in the Kiryu house of horrors!'**

**'People have claimed to here noises coming from the home.'**

Neither of the two statements gave him the insurance he needed. Resting his head on the desk with a very audible thump, Zero buried his head in his arms and just laid there.

He didn't budge an inch for a good ten minutes, before he pulled himself from his chair, closing down the browser and erasing the history for good measure.

After, he left the building abruptly, his mind reeling as he was imprinted with an ample bundle of new questions and not a single answer to accompany them.

Life sucked.

* * *

A complex assortment of mixed feelings twisted around in Zero's gut as he stared at the phone in his palm whilst he headed down the sidewalk curved towards his home. Even after he had left the library, the information he had obtained clouded his judgment. It was a sick virus, his need to know what had transpired in the past. And as he neared the house that had started his spiral of questions, he still could only think of one person who would know more about the subject than anyone else, his teacher since he was a mere child, Toga Yagari.

The man was practically a genius and he always seemed to know more than he let on, Zero had always idolized the man, and now as he hit a dead end, he was the only person he could go to.

The only issue was that he didn't want to contact the busy male for such a childish reason. But as he remembered the shadows that stalked his every move in his home, he decided that his back was up against the wall. He had no choice.

Turning the corner, Zero saw his house come into view, and then his fingers were dialing Toga's number. Approaching his property in a relaxed stride, he waited for the raven to pick up. After three rings, he was greeted by a rigid voice, thick with years of inhaling tobacco. Zero felt a smidge of nostalgia creep inside him at the sound before the boy was in front of his door, his free hand twisting in the key while the cool air tickled the nape of his neck. With a gentle push he was inside, and his keys were being dropped with a clang onto the table. The moment he was situated somewhat, Zero focused on the object pressed to his ear.

"There was another murder in that house. Why didn't you tell me?" Zero skipped over the greeting, and cut right to the chase. He wasn't trying to be rude, but to be frank, he didn't have time for idle chit-chat, and knowing Yagari like he did, he was sure the other man didn't either. Not to mention, Zero was more than a tad pissed off at the moment, despite his calm demeanor, he was frustrated beyond belief.

There was silence over the phone and Zero gritted his pearly white teeth together in boiling impatience, and just when he was about to repeat his question, the elder male's gruff voice graveled through the phone in rough tumbles, "Ah, I didn't think it mattered at the time. Not to mention you were grieving, I hardly think your head was screwed on tight enough to know something like that."

Zero instantaneously growled at the comment, a sharp gleam appearing in his darkening lilac hues as he clutched the device tightly in his white fingers, the slender digits constricting around it hard enough to hear a subtle crack beneath the screen. But he held his tongue, coaxing himself to calm down as he tried to think of a response. His teacher had a point, he wouldn't foolishly deny that, but it still ticked him off to be held in the dark. Biting his lower lip, Zero crushed the phone between his shoulder and his ear, kicking his shoes off in the house, "I believe I'm ready to know now." He replied, his jacket being tossed onto the sofa while his legs collapsed just in time for his body to be captured by the loveseat.

"Listen Kid, I don't think it's connected if that's what you're getting at. That murder was over 300 years ago, if not longer. Whoever killed them is long gone." The skepticism in Yagari's voice didn't go unnoted.

But moreover, Zero acknowledged the fact that the man was already well informed, just like he had predicted. That made the phone call worthwhile—if Yagari would give him the time of day.

Splashing ice water on his temper and fanning down with a paper fan, Zero cleared his throat and tipped his head back to rest along the back of the loveseat, calm washing over him, "I'm aware of that."

There was a muffled cuss on the other side of the phone before he heard his father figure release a noise similar to a grunt, the man was about to tell him what he wanted to know.

On cue, the reply came through, albeit with reluctance, "Fine, I'll tell you what I know, but I doubt it's anything more than what you already know."

"Enlighten me." Zero tested, his ears eagerly waiting for whatever his sensei had to tell him. After a failed day of research and provoked memories, he was more than ready to put some of his mind at ease, or at least get better understandings of the events unfolding around him.

"The case went cold years ago, they never found out who did it. One day someone went to go talk to the family about something, and you can guess what they saw. There wasn't any useful clues left behind, just that the family had to have died by a means more complicated than the cops could handle. That's all I know about it. Don't see why it's any of your concern, unless you're lookin' for trouble."

As Yagari replayed the facts he already knew back to him, one fact struck home and remained implanted in his mind; they never found out who did it.

That couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

A crazy, illogical thought struck his mind, maybe the same person had killed his family was the same person responsible for the other murder.

But that wasn't possible, the person was long since dead, humans didn't live that long, it was a simple truth. But maybe there was a copycat. That, wasn't nearly as far fetched.

Drawing up that conclusion in his mind, Zero granted Yagari with a reassuring response, "I was just curious. Thanks for telling me." He expressed his gratitude easily, a feat he only managed when his teacher was involved.

A snort was heard, "Don't mention it." Zero let a bemused smile cross his features, before bidding his teacher a goodbye, but before his finger could hit the end button, Yagari's voice distracted him once more.

"Oh wait, Kid, I've been meaning to ask you somethin'."

Raising his brow in surprise, Zero muttered out a simple, "Yes?"

"Have you seen your imaginary friend lately?"

Zero was hit with a brick in the face labeled confusion. Fluttering his eyelashes in display of how absurd the question was, Zero gave his phone a sidelong glance. Did Yagari hit his head?

"What?" The silver haired teen asked, trying to make sense of the question.

"You heard me." Yagari grunted in irritation, and that left Zero even more brain dead.

"My imaginary friend? What are you even talking about?"

"You used to have one when you were little, you used to call him, Kaname, or some damn priss name like that."

There was a heartbeat, Zero went to deny knowing someone of that name, when he saw it.

The shadow in the corner of the room…the name shouting in his face.

Zero dropped the phone in shock.

A loud clatter was heard as the phone hit the table, the screen lighting up from the impact. No sooner did Yagari's voice sound from the phone, "Zero?"

There was no response.

"Zero! Dammit kid, answer me!"

Zero heard the words loud and clear, but he was too busy trying to stop his head from splitting wide open. With a groan, he placed his head between his knees. Images crashing into him with waves of nausea.

_Two tiny hands held open a large thick covered chapter book in both hands, the words on the page calling out to the young boy reading a level far beyond his years. He was reading a story about a boy who was trying to save the world, but everyone was against him. It was a sad story, but it gave him a sense of joy with each chapter he completed._

_With a content smile on his lips, he flipped over to the next page, immersed in the world of fantasy._

_But then, as he went to read another word, he caught the sight of dark slacks from above the top of his book. Surprise, honest and true, lit up Zero's facial features as he lowered his prized book down onto his lap, tilting back his head to peer up at the person who had interrupted his reading. It was a person he had never laid his eyes on before. A random man standing in his room._

_"Do you want to be my friend, Zero?"_

_His young mind hadn't expected the question._

_Staring up at the tall figure before him, the young boy became enchanted by the man's beauty within seconds. The man had skin that glistened like a fine china doll, unscarred and clear of imperfections. It looked smooth to the touch and as Zero reached out his dainty fingers to slide over the stranger's silk-like cheek (just to make sure he was real of course), the other bent forward to allow him access. It was as soft as it appeared. With a smile tempting to stretch across his face, he brushed his fingers over the canvas of perfection, his eyes drinking in the rest of the male's features as if it were his favorite blend of strawberry milk. Strands of chocolate cascading around a friendly face, flowing down to rest in a messy fashion upon broad shoulders, eyes the shade of the wine his mother would sometimes sip from, and a smile unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was as if the man was an angel. _

_An angel he wanted to stick around. He could be his first friend aside from his twin. _

"_Well?" A melodic voice fished for an answer._

_Zero hesitated to bite, a question slipping from his mouth, "Where did you come from?" _

"_That's a secret." The brunette said with a warm smile. Zero was a little miffed at the answer, but his innocent mind thought nothing of it, and Zero provided him the catch. Nodding his head in response to the original question with a bright gleam in lilac spheres, Zero spoke, "I wouldn't mind." _

_The stranger smiled and covered the pale hand on his cheek with his own, weaving together their fingers while he tilted his head to the side. His spheres of ruby twinkling when he lowered them to stare at the boy who only came to his lower chest. "Good. I'm Kaname, it's a pleasure to meet you, Zero." _

A bat landed across from him, and as he stared at it, its beady black eyes piercing through his soul, he dug his nails into his skull to stop the blistering pain. He slunk off the furniture and dropped to his knees, ragged breaths shaking his lungs with each exhale as he tried to remember how to breathe. His head hurt so goddamn bad. He closed his eyes, scraping the blunt edges of his nails in deeper. The phone long forgotten on the table.

_Make it stop._

The black creature that watched his movements like a hawk, suddenly glided away from his trembling form, and if he had his eyes open, he would've saw the creature melt away into a jumble of other bats just like it, to form the figure of a man.

A presence behind him, had Zero's eyes squinting open against the nails being drove into his temples, as he looked over his slumped shoulders, to meet the eyes of the finest wine.

A beautiful visage from a story book peering down at him. This couldn't be real. Could it?

The pain in his head melted away with the lingering fog, and Zero stared at the man watching him silently, his mouth whispering the name that had been on the tip of his tongue since the day he had set foot into his childhood home, "Kaname?"

* * *

**Author's note:** You can probably tell I finished this while running on only three and a half hours of sleep, can't you? I'm not particularly proud of this chapter and it's a bit shorter than the other two, but I tend on making up for that with the next update. Either way, I managed to get this done on time and I hope it was at least worth reading. Any feedback is welcome and greatly enjoyed/ appreciated, I hope you'll follow, review, or favorite. 


End file.
